The future of the Strikeforce 145-pound women’s division changed drastically this past week with news that champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos had tested positive for a steroid metabolite and has incurred a one-year suspension.

The Brazilian knockout artist is expected to be stripped of her Strikeforce title, and her division may be phased out of the promotion entirely.

Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) had initially been awarded a 16-second TKO victory over Japanese challenger Hiroko “Cat’s Eye” Yamanaka (12-1 MMA, 0-0 SF) at “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” on Dec. 17 in San Diego. The result of the bout was overturned and ruled a no-content by the California State Athletic Commission on Jan. 6 after Santos’ pre-fight drug test came back positive for stanozolol. Santos was subsequently fined $2,500 and suspended until Dec. 16, 2012, one year after the date of her failed drug test.

Santos will be forced to relinquish her Strikeforce championship, as well as her spot atop both the 145-pound division and pound-for-pound female MMA rankings, but the ramifications from her positive steroid test could run much deeper.

UFC president Dana White has stated that the Strikeforce women’s featherweight division may be eliminated entirely in Santos’ absence and the promotion admittedly has few options remaining in order to salvage the division.

Of the top female fighters at 145 pounds, most are currently either signed to other promotions outside of Strikeforce or have recently competed in other weight classes such as bantamweight. Others are coming off recent defeats or injuries. Or, as in the case of top European prospect Yana “Foxy” Kunitskaya, they are unable to secure visas to compete in the U.S.

To date, the Strikeforce 145-pound women’s division has largely been used as a platform to set up fighters for title bouts with Santos – whether they were ready to take on the challenge or not. The division is arguably the weakest of the five main women’s weight classes, and it may be up to another promotion outside of Strikeforce to devote the time and resources that are needed to establish the 145-pound class as a credible women’s division in the absence of Santos and former MMA superstar Gina “Conviction” Carano.

Fujii, who battled knee injuries earlier in the year, dove for Benitez’s leg early in the fight and dragged her opponent down to the mat. Fujii swept into top position and landed strikes to Benitez’s face that allowed her to set up an armbar. Benitez clasped her hands together to defend, but Fujii rolled her over and broke her grip then pulled back on the arm.

Benitez was forced to submit, which Fujii her third straight win in Japan since her contentious split-decision loss to Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Gurgel in the finals of the 2010 Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament.

Strikeforce books two women’s bouts for March 3 in Ohio

While the Strikeforce women’s featherweight division may be in peril, the promotion has put a renewed focus on the 135-pound women’s weight class and has booked a pair of quality matchups for the March 3 Strikeforce card in Columbus, Ohio.

Tate has made no secret of the fact that she feels that Rousey, who has yet to compete at 135 pounds, does not deserve a shot at her title. It is a belief shared by Kaufman, who felt that she was next in line for a fight with Tate, whom she defeated at Strikeforce Challengers 1 in 2009.

Strikeforce matchmakers saw things differently, however, and opted to take advantage of Rousey’s rapid rise to fame in the sport by putting her into the 135-pound title fight. To date, none of Rousey’s seven pro and amateur MMA bouts has lasted longer than 57 seconds. All have ended in armbar submission victories for the 2008 Beijing Games medalist. Tate possesses excellent wrestling skills, but whether that will be enough to stop Rousey’s judo throws and armbar transitions will be up for debate until the two face off in March.

Kaufman and Davis are no strangers to one another. The Canadian rivals first met in Davis’ pro debut in April 2007. Kaufman earned a third-round TKO victory in the first meeting and went on to win her first 12 fights before losing her Strikeforce title to Marloes “Rumina” Coenen in October 2010. She has since bounced back with two straight wins while Davis has won both of her fights for Strikeforce, including an impressive stoppage of Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes in September.

Kaitlin Young impressive in homecoming victory

Competing in her home state of Minnesota for the first time in over two years, Muay Thai standout Kaitlin Young (7-5) earned a dominant stoppage victory on Jan. 6 in Minneapolis. Young defeated Canadian Anna “Smiles” Barone (2-3) in the main event of Sterling Entertainment Group and Driller Promotions’ “Downtown Showdown 2.”

Young, who had a number of planned bouts fall through in 2011, was awarded a percentage of Barone’s fight purse when Barone came in well above the agreed-upon catchweight of 142 pounds. Barone’s failure to make weight seemed to motivate Young and she punished Barone with body kicks and knees in the opening round. A standing elbow opened a cut on Barone’s face and Young began to target the wound with jabs in round two.

Barone gamely tried to answer with punches of her own and looked to take the fight to the ground, but Young stayed on her feet and began to pick her opponent apart with leg kicks. At the end of round two, Barone’s face was covered in blood and the cageside physician stopped the fight. The partisan crowd cheered as Young picked up her third win in her past four fights. Six of her seven victories have come via a form of knockout.

Young plans to return to the cage in April, but will first take a break from the gym after being in training camps non-stop since July due to the series of cancelled bouts.

McMann won her ProElite debut in August and has yet to taste defeat since transitioning from the wrestling mat to the MMA cage. Akano has fought most of the sport’s top female fighters during her seven-year career and has won three of her past four fights. Of Akano’s 14 submission victories, all but one has come via armbar. She is highly skilled at working off of her back, which may be a key factor in combating McMann’s takedowns.

A second women’s bout involving Hawaii’s Raquel “Rocky” Pa’aluhi was also in the works for ProElite 3, but it has since been scratched, and Pa’aluhi is expected to compete on a future card.

On the same night, a pair of female fights will be featured on the main card of “Jackson’s MMA Series 7″ in Albuquerque, N.M. In the headliner, Michelle “The Karate Hottie” Waterson (8-3) returns to action for the first time since the birth of her daughter to face Colorado prospect Diana “Dynamite” Rael (3-1) at 105 pounds.

Waterson has not fought since an April 2010 victory over Japanese veteran Masako Yoshida, but her two wins in 2010 were arguably the most impressive of her pro career. In February, Waterson submitted Rosary Califano with a highlight-reel flying armbar in just 15 seconds, and she was dominant in her TKO victory over Yoshida two months later. However, ring rust may play a factor in the striker’s long-awaited return.

Rael opened her pro career with back-to-back TKO victories before suffering her lone defeat against fellow Colorado native Lacey “The Ladie” Schuckman. Like Waterson, Rael is also coming off of her biggest win to date. In August, she entered hostile territory to face New Mexico’s Angelica Chavez, and she handed Chavez the first defeat of her career. Rael now returns to the state and looks to defeat another hometown favorite.

Also on the Jackson’s MMA Series 7 card, talented boxer Jodie Esquibel (1-0) steps back into the MMA cage to face Arizona’s Amy Riehle (0-1). Esquibel finished Brittany Horton with a head kick and punches fewer than four minutes into her pro MMA debut in April. Riehle aims for her first victory after falling to recent Bellator competitor Casey “KO” Noland in late 2010.

Lastly, Liz Carreiro (5-8) competes in her home state of Oklahoma when she faces New Mexico’s Brenda Gonzales (2-0) at “King of the Cage: Total Destruction.” The event takes place in Thackerville, Okla. Carreiro put together a solid 3-1 record in 2009 with her lone defeat coming against Strikeforce champion Miesha Tate, but she has since dropped three straight fights. In October, she stepped in on very short notice to face Kaitlin Young at Freestyle Cage Fighting 49 but succumbed to punches late in round one. Gonzales has finished both of her opponents in fights under the KOTC banner, and she will provide a tough test for the veteran Carreiro.

(Pictured: Miesha Tate)

MMAjunkie.com publishes the Women’s MMA Report every other Monday. Its author, Robert Sargent, is a veteran MMA journalist who also runs MMARising.com. Feel free to email us at news [AT] mmajunkie.com with any questions, news tips or suggestions.

Ronda Rousey’s statistical greatness has already ventured into uncharted territory – just six fights into her UFC career. Check out all the post-fight facts, including Rousey’s latest achievements, about UFC 190.

UFC champion Ronda Rousey did it again when she smashed Bethe Correia in 34 seconds at UFC 190. But after her third straight opponent tries and fails to make it out of the first minute, the world’s best female fighter needs a better dance partner.